The American Spectator : Speaking Truth to Power

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Some years ago, a priest friend of mine suggested that the legalization of same-sex marriage might be even more morally harmful to our nation than the scourge of abortion. How, I wondered at the time, could anything be more harmful than taking the lives of our innocent children. And then I realized that most people are not in favor of abortion but, as Rush Limbaugh often points out, they pity those around them who might be in need of that awful procedure. But the advent of the push for homosexual marriage goes much deeper; it represents a war on truth.

As we all know, liberals are crafty in their deceit; even tampering with the English language to further their aims. If they find that their ideas are not sitting well with average Americans, they simply change the labels. Think that abortion sounds too harsh? Let's call it a women's reproductive health issue. Have real scientists proved that the Earth is cooling and not warming? Let's then use the term climate change to terrify the populace. Does the word homosexual imply too much of its true meaning? Demonize those that use it by calling them homophobes.

These and other tactics of the left point toward this inescapable conclusion: it is not equality, or human rights or any other pleasant-sounding euphemisms that are behind much of their agenda. It is a deliberate attack on truth. It is their intention to strip the notion of objective truth from our national ethos. And when there is thought to be no real and permanent truth, when everyone has their own truths which are based on prevailing cultural norms or whims, who then will wield the power to make and enforce our laws? You guessed it.

But how to go about it? Where does the objective truth -- which for thousands of years has condemned homosexual behavior and infanticide as harmful to society -- still reside? It is in the shrinking abode of religion, as practiced around the world by people of faith. This then is the principal goal of the left; to separate the people from God by declaring that religion must be cordoned off from public life, that its tenets have no place in politics or anywhere else outside the church door.

Yes, it is God himself who is in the crosshairs of liberals around the world and it's not difficult to see why. If even the teachings of Natural Law can be made to seem obsolete, then the world will be wide open to any group with the power and machinery to make their truth law. That is why all modern totalitarian governments have made religion -- "the opiate of the people" -- their first target. And this plan is well underway in the United States.

As if we needed further proof, along comes the New York Times with a piece entitled, "More Atheists Shout It From the Rooftops," by religion writer, Laurie Goodstein. It is mostly a touch-feely account of what wonderful folks atheists are, how they organize picnics and volunteer at soup kitchens while positing that their cause is somehow noble, "like environmentalism or muscular dystrophy."

Yes, they're just a harmless bunch of Americans who are troubled by their belief that they are viewed as "social pariahs." But the money line hits you like a slap in the face: "They liken their strategy to that of the gay-rights movement, which lifted off when closeted members of a scorned minority decided to go public.…The most important thing is coming out of the closet."

The piece goes on to point out that these atheists are -- surprise, surprise -- "fed by outrage over the Bush administration's embrace of the religious right," and that they are "pooling resources to lobby in Washington for separation of church and state." And so it would seem that they, like their homosexual brethren, are not merely content to shed their pariahdom, but to change the very fabric of our moral underpinning and rule of law.

We're often told that it is improper and even unfair for the majority of Americans to impose their views on others in the form of law, as if that's not how the supreme law of our land was written. Those who love the Constitution realize that while it protects the rights of minorities, religious and otherwise, the very nature of the processes to amend it not only infer, but mandate majority rule.

Make no mistake about it; our nation is in deep trouble if we continue to allow tiny minorities to dictate our way of life. Atheism, abortion, and homosexuality are all negatives, they have no affirmation of life in them. Which is to say that they lack the animating power of God, a power that has blessed this country for over two hundred years.

Letter to the Editor

topics:
Aggrieved Minorities, Culture of Life

Appleby| 4.29.09 @ 7:29AM

If atheists are so happy and confident in their beliefs, why do they persist in trying to exterminate all other options, lest someone upset their smug certainty?

I am a devout Catholic who grew up in the marketplace of ideas, and I am perfectly willing to debate with any atheist who is honestly interested in debate. Unfortunately, the ones I meet are usually more interested in extinguishing my right to speak in public at all, lest they or their brethren hear something that might possibly change their point of view.

Thats why the atheists built the Berlin Wall, of course. To prevent ideas from entering their own smug orbit. And all it took to defeat that wall was ideas (and catalogues) lobbed across.

Incidentally, why is it that the atheists are not interested in extinguishing Islam?

El Rey| 4.29.09 @ 7:31AM

Excellent column, Liz.

Unfortunately, the priest friend that you cited for correctly noting that the legalization of same-sex marriage might be even more morally harmful to our nation than the scourge of abortion, is a clerical exception.

Since the around the 1970's, I haven't heard a peep out of the Catholic clergy -- either in homlies or in church publications -- about the particularly sordid sin of homosexuality.

And then when the clerical sexual scandals broke into the news in 2001, I came to see why; the clergy was loaded with homosexuals.

[And please, don't tell me only a small percent were involved. That 'small percent' was only the ones who were 1) caught and/or 2) so perverse that they went after boys BELOW the legal limit.]

So, not only did these clerical perverts prey on young boys, but even worse yet, they and their sympathizers helped to undermine true Catholic teaching every day of their ministry across a whole spectrum of issues.

So yes, the legitimization of the homosexual agenda may be more damaging to society than even Roe v. Wade.

Becky| 4.29.09 @ 7:44AM

How does Dave Matthews rambling do anything to further debate?

I've read his post several times, and he refers quite liberally to God, even assuming to know God's mind as to offense levels. I take it not because he has a close personal relationship to God, but because in his mind, he is a god, and his opinions are somehow so clear and inspiring as to be obviously correct.

By the way, what do atheists refer to to defend their bigotry and hate? Usually Christians or the Bible.

It may surprise Dave to find out some athiests actually credit Christianity with helping to form the present rise of Western Civilization, one that has also empowered women, protected the weak, etc. , and do not want to see it as a threat to be minimized or destroyed.

Becky| 4.29.09 @ 7:46AM

Becky| 4.29.09 @ 7:50AM

How does Dave Matthews rambling do anything to further debate? He provides proof we need to do better in our educational system.

Becky| 4.29.09 @ 7:51AM

Sue| 4.29.09 @ 8:00AM

Becky| 4.29.09 @ 8:08AM

Colin| 4.29.09 @ 8:26AM

Lisa's observation of the Left using language to drive their debate points ... makes the point.

Anyone remember when your garden variety "progressive" was known on the block as ... a liberal?

Back in the day, a lefty was a guy workin' out of the bullpen for the Yankees. Today he's tossin' curve balls from the White House. And right now, it's bases loaded, nobody out ... and we're only in the first inning.

Lawd hep us!

Jerry| 4.29.09 @ 8:36AM

BM,
"Christians commit numerous sins"...REALLY?! Ask any member of the 'Christian Taliban' (clever!), they'll be the first to agree with your stinging assertion.
Yawn...

Dave| 4.29.09 @ 9:03AM

Dave Matthews:

"Western Civilization, the scourage of humankind and the polluter of the Earth. If Christianity takes responsibility for Western Civilization that's just one more reason to despise Christianity. "

To paraphrase Matk twain, it would be far better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool, rather than open it and remove all doubt.

Northern Rebel| 4.29.09 @ 9:12AM

David Mathews indeed, does remind me of the Dave Mathews Band.

He tries to sound clever and interesting, then he opens his mouth to sing, and spoils it all!

Secure in Faith| 4.29.09 @ 9:30AM

I believe that Rev. Church said it best: "When athiests proudly proclaim to me that they don't believe in God, I ask them to tell me about the God they don't believe in. After they do, I tell them they're right ; I wouldn't believe in their God either!"

Bill| 4.29.09 @ 9:31AM

"Atheist Delusions" is a book I highly recommend to everyone. It is written by a first rate intellectual, David Bentley Hart. It addresses the issues raised by the "New Atheists" in a highly intelligent and honest way. This is required reading for everyone who is interested in this topic.

Note to all you fools who keep addressing Dave Matthews - please stop. By making him the focus of our discussion you have made him the victor. Ignore him...pleeeeeese.

Now back to important matters. Christianity is responsible for most of what is good in the world today. It is true that harm has been done in the name of Christianity, some recently. It is also true that Christians have been far too vested in Bush and the war in Iraq.

Christians, in my opinion, should not get overly involved in politics of any kind - right or left. It debases our faith. Politics is about cooersion and earthly solutions not Kingdon of God solutions. I am convinced that for Christians politics is the last refuge of those who lack faith in God.

Mathewsblaster| 4.29.09 @ 9:35AM

Typical of the little lady, Mathews uses legerdemain and friable 'arguments' (if they can be called such) in a offcious attempt at seeming sagacious.

Senescent attempts at appearing trenchant fail and reveal hebetude.

Ms. Mathews is surely a farrago of several moveon personel assigned to assault this and other web sites on a diurnal basis.

Like their insouciant hero, Bill Clinton (still wearing a "spoof me!" sign on his butt) the two Ms. Mathews will prove fugacious and retire to their sinecures at CAP.

Dave| 4.29.09 @ 9:35AM

Wasting my time with Dave Matthews again ...

Dave, Western Civilization provides:

* Clothes on your back

* Food in your stomach

* A roof over your head

* A standard of living unprecidented in history - which you will eventually come to appreciate

* A life expectancy double that of Swaziland (the one at the bottom). Thus you can look forward to another seven decades of existence simply because you live in within Western Civilization.

* An education sufficient, so far, to allow you to attempt to communicate in this forum.

* Access to an adult's computer so you can post your drivel here.

Unfortunately, Western Civilization has failed you in several ways as well:

* It has left you seriously close minded and bigoted.

* Your education has left you with a depressing lack of ability to comprehend the written word, but take heart, I'm certain this will improve when you reach high school.

Cam| 4.29.09 @ 9:41AM

Great article, but a little too little too late. Though I heartly agree with what is said, I think that blaming liberals at this point is, though correct, is still off the mark. Instead, blame the Christian Church for forgetting its original message and mission. We have all been complicit in allowing the delution of the Gospel to go unchecked, all in order to fill up the pews and build bigger mega-churches with more and more buildings.

In America, Christianty, though there are exceptions of course, has largely mutated into the feel-good, hot-tub, California-left-coast-type of Christianity which cares more about the social aspects of the Church rather than repentence .... We have become weak, ineffectual and directionless as a whole. And atheists/Liberals are simply attacking a dying religion, as they did in Europe.

I know that there are many of us who rightly and bravely still "cling to our faith and our guns," and proudly so, but unless we fervently pray for a revival here in the America's, we will lose the most sacred right to freely worship the God of our Fathers.

The Judeo-Christian way of life is now largely upheld by a very small minority of believers, who are now being persecuted in their own churches because they keep and treasure the Commandments of God. Even as liberalism invades the Church, we and the tenets we hold are becoming lost to the leaders who seem more interested in "just getting along" and the "size of the collection plate".... Woe unto us in these latter days! We have all gone astray!

Sue| 4.29.09 @ 9:51AM

I quess that Mr. Matthews is a homosexual and I also assume that he is somewhat intelligent. I also assume that he is living in the good old USA (the Western Civilization) and probably living a very good lifestyle since he either has a computer or access to a computer (library or friend). I would also assume that he drives a car (or has access to one), has a refrigerator, flushing toilet (indoor, of course), heat and air conditioning, and a general since of well-being since he has access to health care, antibiotics, allergy medicine, hospitals, etc. What he appears to lack is a moral compass. He is so enraged with God for creating him as a homosexual that he cannot even begin to accept himself for what he is, one of God's creatures that in spite of the fact that he is not "normal" as defined by society in general, he has something great to contribute to society as a whole. That something is a belief that the human being (regardless of sexual orientation) is defined by the character traits instilled through a civilized society, not just merely "passing through" a civilized society.

When Mr. Matthews wakes up and accepts himself for who he is, and not as what other people believes he is, he will become a whole man living his life as God intended. He can wish all he wants for society to accept him, but he must accept himself first to survive. And for what purpose does it fit his survival to rant against Christians? Maybe he's not only a closet homosexual, but a radical religious zealot that takes the form of humanism. Whether one believes in a higher being is ones personal system of responsibility to being true to himself; what others believe shouldn't have any bearing on how he functions in a civilized society. Civil society is important to us all; even more so for him since his moral compass is pointing him to a path of self-destruction.

And what about that "homosexual marriage" issue. Why do these homosexuals want to be "married." Marriage is on the decline in this Country and 40% of our nation's children do not live or are not born within a marriage. It has already been destroyed by the government through the earned income tax credit, welfare system, etc. The civil marriage that he speaks of will have no consequences to our society as there are no real tax issues. The marriage penalty tax is returning. The real issue is with "religious marriage" and here's where they are desperately seeking society's acceptance. But it is not society that would have to accept a "biblical" sham marriage of homosexuals, it is God's acceptance for most of us and no matter how you cut it, two men and two women cannot procreate and continue the fulfillment of God's directive. So, why do they continue to assult religion and "marriage" if they think that religion is so reprehensible? It is a smoke screen - marriage. The radical homosexual agenda is about destroying civil society - not maintaining it. And I really wish that people of his mindset - America and western civilization is evil, would go somewhere else in the world and camp out.

david murphy| 4.29.09 @ 10:29AM

Atheists, like gays, are hilarious. Higher than average income. Higher than average educational levels. Overwhelmingly white. We should all be so oppressed! And hey, what wonderful folks, too - Stalin, Mao, all kinds of great atheists out there. And look at all their hospitals, old folks' homes, charitable foundations for the needy, and so on. Yep, a world full of finally free, formerly oppressed atheists, will definitely be a bright, sunshiny place!

bobxxxx| 4.29.09 @ 10:36AM

Appleby wrote "Incidentally, why is it that the atheists are not interested in extinguishing Islam?"

Appleby, I don't have any childish beliefs in magic god fairies, and I would love to see the eradication of all religions, including Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Did you think atheists enjoyed watching the destruction of the World Trade Center and 3,000 innocent lives on 9/11/2001? Do you think atheists applaud the daily suicide bombings in the Middle East?

Islam and Judaism need to be eradicated because of the religious violence. Christianity needs to be eradicated because of the theocrats who want to destroy America's science education.

David Gonzalez| 4.29.09 @ 10:38AM

Sue---

To answer your question, I don't believe that radical homosexuals really want to be "married", any more than they particularly want to serve in the military. Both marriage and military service are perceived by them as heterosexual institutions---and, as such, must be invaded by them, diluted and made "less-special" by their very participation, and ultimately destroyed. I believe that it's just that simple.

L. Ross| 4.29.09 @ 10:43AM

I thought the most interesting point Lisa made in her article is the leftist desire to control language. It is incredibly reminiscient of newspeak in George Orwell's "1984". Control the language, and you control the debate. Look at how it has become impossible to debate racial issues. I saw we change the term Political Correctness to its more appropriate name, Newspeak.

Dave Mathews, F&*% off.

bobxxxx| 4.29.09 @ 10:43AM

"And look at all their hospitals"

David Murphy complains about the lack of hospitals called "Atheist Hospital" but he forgets that atheist scientists have made possible the medical progress that has saved millions of lives, while Christian retards just get in the way of progress.

It's for a good reason that the top scientists of the world, the members of the National Academy of Sciences, are 93% atheist. The more a scientist contributes to human progress, the less likely he believes in religious insanity.

bobxxxx| 4.29.09 @ 10:50AM

Appleby wrote "If atheists are so happy and confident in their beliefs"

Appleby, not believing in your invisible friend is not a belief for the same reason not believing in the Easter Bunny is not a belief.

Tim| 4.29.09 @ 10:50AM

The climate for believers is going to get worse, much worse. What we see today are only the foundations being laid- in government, in media and in politics, in language and thought.
Separation of Church and State? What we are moving toward is the Church of the State-completely purged of those quaint superstitions of the old and new testaments.

Joe Turner| 4.29.09 @ 12:03PM

I thought Lisa's piece was one of the best opinion pieces I have read in quite some time and I read a lot of internet pieces. It captured the core of the conflict between those who acknowledge the role that God wants to play in our lives, the love and respect He is due and those who hold a deep hatred of truth and have a complementary desire to destroy all that is good while vehemently denying their dirty deeds and intent.

Anyone who desires to be in the former group can be forgiven for having some discouragement over the power held by proponents of the latter group. Well, the Bible tells us that it will always be that way. We must seek the objective truth in Jesus Christ and ignore, as best we can, the shrill cries of the many who happily do the work of the devil.

Mike Lee| 4.29.09 @ 12:10PM

Lisa. Not to worry. They now have God in their crosshairs. Then we must pity them and pray for them for they know not what they do.

Bigrich104| 4.29.09 @ 12:24PM

bobxxx is as sorry a fool as David Mathews. He says idiocies like 'atheist scientists have made poossible the medical progress'...hospitals were created by Roman Catholics on the logic that humans, being created in God's image, shouldn't suffer but be tended to when sick. All major science disciplines were founded by Christians. Why should atheists care about suicide bombers or any other human suffering? According to atheist ideoloy, there is no God, no purpose to life...all is random chance and meaningless, so there is no rational basis to develop concern over others since what ever happens, should happen because it DOES happen...again without pupose, intent or meaning. If there is no ultimate truth, all ideas become equal because they are produced by the same random naturalistic processes..."gas the Jews" becomes equal to "do unto others". They are equal because there is no transcendant universal authority or baseline by which to judge their comparative value. If there is no moral order to the universe, and there can be none without a Creator God to establish it, then there is no rational basis to object to ANYTHING that does not immediately threaten your own existence. Atheists have embraced the Judeo-Christian world view but want to deny the Source and don't realize that soon they will abondon even their humanitarian impulses because their intellectual foundation cannot and doesnot support those impulses they have absorbed from the culture into which they were born, a culture that is dying.

Troll Hunter| 4.29.09 @ 1:08PM

Becky,
Agreed. By the way... When you post, it is now oft necessary to this the "refresh" link. It's there, but you won't see your post until your browser pulls it directly from the server.

Never mind the trolls. God gave us atheism so that they'd have something to believe. Poor sods.

brutus| 4.29.09 @ 2:19PM

Good piece, Lisa. What can we do? Remember the days when the word "gay" meant "merry" and "happy?" Let's start by simply taking back the English language. "Gay" is "merry" again, and a homosexual is a homosexual. And all those activist homosexuals are welcome to fight back by calling me "heterosexual!!!" all day long.

cwbois| 4.29.09 @ 2:41PM

So DM what do you appeal to in order to justify your bigotry and hate or do you just make it up as you go.

Michael| 4.29.09 @ 2:55PM

Does David Matthews have a job? Just wondering.

Tony in Central PA| 4.29.09 @ 2:59PM

I was hoping the author would have mentioned something about H.R. 1913. I'm sure it will show up soon on this site.
G.K. Chesterton said that when orthodoxy becomes optional, sooner or later it will be proscribed. This perfectly describes the what, how and why of marriage in our society today.

Helen Donnelly| 4.29.09 @ 4:07PM

Mr. Matthews - For someone who so abhors conservative christian views, you certainly do spend alot of time reading American Spectator. Hmmmmm......

Wicked Dickie--Virginia| 4.29.09 @ 4:34PM

Excellent article. Well thought out. One of the blessings of a Christ Centered Western Society. Becky, Sue, Big Rich et al get it. Unfortunately, the hate America crowd to include some posters here, the Democrats, their MSM propaganda sycophants and the likes of Obama-ayers and Specter are listened to and believed more than the voices of reason.

Tony in Central PA| 4.29.09 @ 5:05PM

Many of the things from daily life now sound Orwellian. In attempting to accomplish social engineering, the left first performs language engineering as the article points out. I am reminded of the term " Newspeak " from " 1984 ". ( I am also reminded of the term " Duckspeak " when I read some of the posters here, and I think you all know who I mean ).
When it comes to creating special protected classes of individuals, based on ethnicity or sexual preference ( in clear violation of our Constitution's Equal Protection Clause ) I am reminded of the quote from " Animal Farm " ; " All animals were created equal, but some are more equal ".

RborisT| 4.29.09 @ 8:13PM

We should remember that atheism is itself a faith, and one with some gaping holes in it. Dave M and others: How do you suppose the matter in this universe came to be? How do you explain even the simplest life form arising spontaneously from inanimate chemicals on this planet? In fact your "faith" is incredible!

Christians should remember that we wrestle NOT against flesh and blood. The enemy and hater of all human kind will have his day; but he and his followers are doomed. What matters is what we do with the time we have.

Tom Paine| 4.29.09 @ 9:22PM

Fabrizio is a fatuous and insipid writer; her pieces somehow manage to be nasty, cynical, and boring -- a truly terrific feat of rhetoric.

We know, we know already ... Liberals are deceitful... Liberals hate God ... Liberals eat babies and beat their wives ... Liberals are communists .. Liberals are terrorists.... OK, all right already ... Give it a rest!

Tom Paine| 4.29.09 @ 9:24PM

David Gonzalez --

What, exactly, is a "radical homosexual"?

Just wondering.

Tom Paine| 4.29.09 @ 9:32PM

Fabrizio writes:
"But how to go about it? Where does the objective truth -- which for thousands of years has condemned homosexual behavior and infanticide as harmful to society -- still reside?"

Fabrizio makes a number of serious errors here. First, "homosexual behavior" has occasioned verying kinds of negative sanctions throughout Western history. However, before the 19th century it was more often than not equated with any number of other sins. It didn't cause the special intensity of shock and pious sanctimony it does today from people like Ms Fabrizio.

Homosexual behavior, of course, was to verying degrees also acceptable at many times in our history. There is really nothing all that "universal" about the way people today feel about homosexual behavior. In fact, the confused and contradictory mix of beliefs our society has today is probably par for the course.

Abortion has its own rather odd history too. I don't have time to go into it, but it wasn't always the moral outrage it is today. (I say this as someone who is pr0-life.)

A little education in history would help Ms Fabrizio make more nuanced and more interesting arguments.

Tom Paine| 4.29.09 @ 9:47PM

Socrates engaged in sexual behavior with young men. Alexander the great did. Going back, Homer's great hero Achilles loved a man.

Leonardo probably was more attacted to men than women, although we don't know as much about him as we do about Michaelangelo, about whom there can be no doubt. In his day, Michaelangelo's sexual desire for men was considered something of a minor personal failing -- like a man who gets drunk at the company picnic.

Of Shakespeare's 154 sonnets, 126 are in all probability addressed to or about a man. At least 20 are blatantly, explicitly homo-erotic. The only sonnets that express shame or regret are those written about the "dark lady."

No reader of Moby Dick can be blind to what's going on there. Melville was evidently attracted to men. Walt Whitman, Oscar Wilde, Arthur Rimbaud, Paul Verlaine -- all attracted to men. Lord Byron was in love with his servant, a young man.

Most of these proclivities have been known and accepted or at least blinked at for centuries -- even millenia.

The fact is, adults realize that some number of people grow up to be attracted to members of the same sex. It's just a fact of life.

The Bible is explicit about homosexual behavior at most three times, in radically different contexts. That number -- given how many exhortations, proverbs, parables, commandments, tales, poems, aphorisms, and speeches it contains, ranging across all of human experience -- is so small I'd say there'd have to be something wrong with you to fixate on it too intently.

Lila| 4.29.09 @ 11:39PM

I concur that most of the first colleges (Yale, Harvard, and more), hospitals were founded by Christians, and many of the worlds most famous scientists that ever lived were Christians. You can look it up, it's not that hard to do.

Re: The Bible has over 5,000 manuscripts, etc., more than any other writings in the history of the world. "The Bible is filled with errors, falsehoods, and lies" I hear this repeated over and over. Seriously, if you really want to know if the Bible is a lie, try reading it with the thought that you want to know if God is real and if the Bible has truth in it. God urges you to do that. He asks you to and if you are sincere, He will show you. But I think that a few here that profess to "know" what is in the Bible, wouldn't have the courage to read it with an open mind.

We are all sinners, we sin even after we become Christians, because we are not perfect. If you want to make fun or call me names because of my beliefs, so be it. It doesn't intimidate me, scare me or make me cry, if you do. It is more of a reflection on you and how intolerant you are. You show your true face in doing so. The true compassionate side.

I don't hate homosexuals, I have many homosexual friends. We love each other. They respect me, as I do them. They know that I believe marriage should be between a man and a woman. Most of them want civil unions. and they are very embarressed, even angry, over Mario, uh, Perez and his hateful and pathetic remarks re: Miss Cal. (and my friends are from Cal.) They said he gives them a bad name. They even respect her for standing up to this angry unhappy man.

And by the way, if Western Civilization is so bad, why don't people just move to another country? Or do they just want to complain. There are trains, planes, boats. There really is no excuse if they hate it here so much. It seems like it is the people who always call others bigots, racists, homophobes and intolerant, who do the pie throwing, glass breaking, wear banadana's so you can't see their faces, scream at you and worse, who seem to think you should just be "quiet and tolerant" and let them speak. If it weren't so sad it would be funny.

Tom Paine| 4.30.09 @ 12:04AM

Lila --

I loved this, dear: "If Western Civilization is so bad, why don't people just move to another country?"

By the way.... Had anyone claimed that Western Civ. is "bad"? I know I sure didn't.

Your caricature of non-western countries is another amusing gem. You need to get out more, Lila. The television's not doing you any favors.

Pingback| 4.30.09 @ 12:29AM

Speaking Truth to Power links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…and homosexuality are all negatives, they have no affirmation of life in them. Which is to say that they lack the animating power of God, a power that has blessed this country for over two hundred years. Read More Share and Enjoy: Related posts: The Arrogance of His Power WASHINGTON — Another Democratic president has shattered precedent. Democratic... Obama’s Torture Policy for the Unborn If achieving…

PNMNM| 4.30.09 @ 1:21AM

Great article, Lisa, as usual. The battle against the truth has been going on since the first person convinced himself that he was a god and could decide right and wrong for himself. Natural laws, like those of physics, have consequences for violators. A society that begins winking at and tolerating violations of the natural law eventually begins accepting those activities as normal. The consequence is death or slavery to the activity, itself a form of death.

We all know that humans have proclivities for violating those laws, all of them. Each person has his/her own set of tendencies toward evil that require resistance to avoid death. Just because some famous people expressed their inner desires and revealed those proclivities over the centuries does not make it right. Their societies, which may or may not have tolerated their desires, nevertheless held, explicitly or implicitly, that certain behaviors are taboo. Mr. Paine points out some fine examples of these proclivities for the case of homosexuality. But he applies the usual mistaken modern assumption about the pre-20th century Christian world and the Biblical Jews that, just because they are not oft repeated, some things were not frowned on more than others, in particular, homosexuality and other sexual sins and infanticide among them. Those sins are listed along with idolatry among a special category in the Torah as being abominations. By definition, those activities are particularly disgusting or hated by God. They were never condoned by either Christians or Jews, or the societies that they strongly influenced. It was unnecessary to make explicit condemnation of those activities because it is so clear in Leviticus and Deuteronomy that certain acts are abominable. Jesus did not need to repeat those lists of abominations. He lived in a society that took them as a given. He did add one thing to the list, slavery to wealth, which is just another form of idolatry. In Romans, Paul reinforced the idea of the natural law and the consequences of violating it, i.e., the giving over of the violators to their lusts, slavery to it.

On the other hand, those who practice those abominations find those who condemn those activities abominable. This is clearly expressed in Exodus, that sacrifices to God are abominable to the Egyptians, and in Sirach, that fear of the Lord is an abomination to the sinner. This was even more beautifully expressed in John, where Jesus explains that those who prefer their evil works are in darkness and will not come near the light because they don't want anyone to expose what they know in their hearts is wrong.

But that is basically what Lisa was getting at. Atheists are basically idolators. Making one's self a god or placing another human's ideas above the commandments of the true God, truth itself, leads to the death of a free nation via the tyranny of the god-man. Homosexuality activity is sterile. Abortion is basically infanticide. Adultery rips up families. Contraception has distorted the relationship of men and women and the ultimate purpose of the sex act. It is self-induced sterility. Condoning those acts as a society is national suicide and constitutes a culture of death. The consequences are just what has been predicted. Our freedoms are under increasing pressure and our native birth rate has dropped to nearly unsustainable levels. Even worse in Europe where these attitudes are more widely embraced. Our finest atheist and Islamic nations are and have been governed by personality cults. Throw out the true God and a man will step in.

ThickNavyRain| 4.30.09 @ 1:55PM

"Atheism, abortion, and homosexuality are all negatives, they have no affirmation of life in them."

As does prevention of teenage pregnancy. Hell, every moment you AREN'T trying to conceive a child may as well be sinful then.

PNMNM| 4.30.09 @ 9:19PM

"As does prevention of teenage pregnancy. "

Teenage pregnancies have not gone down as result of the spread of abortion, homosexuality, etc. They only served to open Pandora's box turning us into a sex-obsessed nation. Today's teens' experiences with sex begin far, far earlier and with more variety than the previous generation, which, in turn, had more and earlier than the one before it. And it has not been to their benefit.

"Hell, every moment you AREN'T trying to conceive a child may as well be sinful then."

Only if you are involved in some nonstop Cialis-more-than-4-hours-inspired hanky panky with someone other than your blessed spouse!

aveteran| 5.6.09 @ 5:02AM

@Appleby| 4.29.09 @ 7:29AM
If CHRISTIANS are so happy and confident in their beliefs, why do they persist in trying to exterminate all other options, lest someone upset their smug certainty?
Answer that, smug one.

"Make no mistake about it; our nation is in deep trouble if we continue to allow tiny minorities to dictate our way of life."

We are in incredible danger if we continue to let 12th-century-thinking mythology dictate policy in the 21st century. If the myth-guided Christians would just mind their OWN business instead of everyone else's, we could all get along much better.

Bashing atheists just proves your intolerance.

Wholesale Lingerie| 9.5.09 @ 10:49PM

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